Mounting assembly for enclosure cover

ABSTRACT

A mounting assembly includes a chassis, a cover slidably mounted to the chassis in a first direction, and a clamping member securely mounted on the cover. The chassis comprises a rear wall having a locking portion thereon. The clamping member has a positioning portion thereon for engaging with the locking portion, and a pressing portion for urging the positioning portion to disengage from the locking portion. When the pressing portion of the clamping member is pressed in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the positioning portion is resiliently bent in the second direction, thereby disengaging the positioning portion from the locking portion of the chassis.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to mounting assemblies for covers of electronic device enclosures, and more particularly to a mounting assembly for a cover of an enclosure for convenient assembly or disassembly.

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

Electronic equipment, such as personal computers or servers, generally comprise an enclosure for housing various electronic components. The enclosure typically comprises a chassis having a plurality of panels connected to each other and a cover slidably mounted to the chassis with screws or similar fasteners. This inevitably slows down assembly of the enclosure, and increases costs in mass production facilities. In addition, the screws or other fasteners add to the inventory in a mass production facility. The more inventory items that need to be monitored, the higher the risk of production line shutdown in the event of a shortage of inventory. Moreover, screwdrivers or other tools are necessary for installation or removal of the enclosure cover, and it is time-consuming and laborious to use them.

A typical mounting assembly is arranged at an end of a chassis for assembly or disassembly of a cover. A rear wall is inward bent to form a supporting plate with a hole defined therein. The cover is inward bent to form a locking tab with a locking opening defined therein and a second abutting portion. The mounting assembly comprises a lever having a locking portion and a first abutting portion, and a resilient device locating between the supporting plate and the lever. The locking opening of the locking tab engages the locking portion. Pulling the lever releases the locking portion from the locking opening, and then the first abutting portion of the lever pushes the second abutting portion of the lever. Although the mounting assembly does not need to use screwdrivers, the operation of above-described mounting assembly is unduly complicated.

What is needed, therefore, is to provide a mounting assembly for an enclosure cover, that allows convenient installation or removal of the cover.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A mounting assembly includes a chassis, a cover slidably mounted to the chassis in a first direction, and a clamping member securely mounted on the cover. The chassis comprises a rear wall having a locking portion thereon. The clamping member has a positioning portion thereon for engaging with the locking portion, and a pressing portion for urging the positioning portion to disengage from the locking portion. When the pressing portion of the clamping member is pressed in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the positioning portion is resiliently bent in the second direction, thereby disengaging the positioning portion from the locking portion of the chassis.

Other advantages and novel features will be drawn from the following detailed description of preferred embodiment with the attached drawings, in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded, isometric view of a mounting assembly in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention comprising an enclosure cover, a clamping member, and a chassis;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, isometric view of the clamping member of FIG. 1, but viewed from another aspect;

FIG. 3 is an assembled view of part of FIG. 1, but viewed from another aspect;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, isometric view of part □ of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is an assembled view of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a mounting assembly for an enclosure cover in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a chassis 10, an enclosure cover 20, and a clamping member 30 securely mounted on the enclosure cover 20. A computer enclosure is typically configured with the chassis 10 and the enclosure cover 20.

The chassis 10 comprises a bottom wall 11, a top wall 12, a rear wall 13, and a front wall 14. The bottom wall 11, the top wall 12, the rear wall 13, and the front wall 14 are connected to each other perpendicularly to cooperatively form a receiving space for receiving a plurality of components such as a motherboard and a data storage device. The bottom wall 11, the top wall 12, the rear wall 13, and the front wall 14 are respectively bent inward to form corresponding flanges 111, 121, 131, 141. The flange 111 of the bottom wall 11 and the flange 121 of the top wall 12 define a plurality of T-shaped through slots 113, 123 each with a wide portion and a narrow portion therein. The flange 131 of the rear wall 13 defines a recessed portion 133 near a middle portion thereof. A locking portion is formed on the recessed portion 133 by stamping. In the preferred embodiment, the locking portion is a pair of locking blocks 134 formed on the recessed portion 133. A rectangular through hole 136 is defined in the rear wall 13 below the pair of locking blocks 134. A locking tab 138 with a circular hole defined therein, extends perpendicularly from the rear wall 13 below the flange 131.

The enclosure cover 20 is slidably secured to the chassis 10. A rear end of the enclosure cover 20 is bent to form a flange 21. A rectangular locking hole 211 is defined in the flange 21 for extension of the locking tab 138 of the rear wall 13 therethrough. A pair of through holes (not labeled) is defined in the flange 21 for extension of a corresponding locking member therethrough. The locking member may be a screw or the like. The enclosure cover 20 is formed to have an L-shaped stop tab 23 (shown in FIG. 4) by stamping, leaving a rectangular opening 25 near the stop tab 23. A plurality of L-shaped catches 24 (shown in FIG. 3) is formed on the enclosure cover 20 near two opposite long edges thereof, and the catches 24 are arranged in a line parallel to the long edges. A front end of the enclosure cover 20 forms a plurality of catches (not shown) thereon.

The clamping member 30 is fixedly mounted on the flange 21 of the enclosure cover 20. An end of the clamping member 30 is bent perpendicularly to form a mounting portion 32. A pair of mounting holes 322 is defined in the mounting portion 32 for extension of the corresponding locking member therethrough. A positioning portion is formed on the clamping member 30. In the preferred embodiment, the positioning portion is a positioning tab 324 with a free end thereon, extending perpendicularly from the mounting portion 32. A rectangular positioning hole 326 is defined in the positioning tab 324. A cantilever 33 with a free end is formed on the clamping member 30 by stamping. A resisting portion, above the free end of the positioning tab 324, is formed at the free end of the cantilever 33. In the preferred embodiment, the resisting portion is a pair of semicircular resisting blocks 331 formed respectively on two edges of the cantilever 33. A pressing portion 333, opposite to the resisting portion, is formed on the cantilever 33 corresponding to the opening 25 of the enclosure cover 20.

Referring also to FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, in assembly of the clamping member 30, the locking members extend through the through holes of the flange 21 of the enclosure cover 20 to engage in the mounting holes 322 of the clamping member 30 respectively, thereby securely mounting the clamping member 30 on an inner side of the enclosure cover 20. At this moment, a side of the pressing portion 333 of the clamping member 30 abuts against a vertical portion of the L-shaped stop tab 23, and a horizontal portion of the L-shaped stop tab 23 is below the pressing portion 333 for preventing the pressing portion 333 from further downward movement. In assembly of the enclosure cover 20, the enclosure cover 20 is placed on the chassis 10 for covering the space. The catches 24 of the enclosure cover 20 are first aligned with the wide portions of the corresponding through slots 113, 123 of the chassis 10. The catches of the front end of the enclosure cover 20 are aligned with the flange 141 of the front wall 14. The positioning tab 324 is aligned with the rectangular through hole 136 of the rear wall 13. The locking hole 211 of the flange 21 of the enclosure cover 20 is aligned with the locking tab 138 of the rear wall 13. Then, the enclosure cover 20 is pushed forwardly in a first direction. In the preferred embodiment, the first direction may be a horizontal direction. The positioning tab 324 inserts through the rectangular through hole 136 of the rear wall 13, and then the locking blocks 134 resist against the positioning tab 324, thereby urging the positioning tab 324 to resiliently bend. When the locking blocks 134 engage in the positioning hole 326 of the positioning tab 324, the positioning tab 324 rebounds back to its original position. Simultaneously, the catches 24 of the enclosure cover 20 engage in the narrow portions of the corresponding through slots 113, 123 of the chassis 10. The catches of the front end of the enclosure cover 20 engage with the flange 141 of the front wall 14. The locking tab 138 of the rear wall 13 inserts through the rectangular locking hole 211 of the enclosure cover 20. Thus, the enclosure cover 20 is securely mounted on the chassis 10. At this state, the pressing portion 333 of the cantilever 33 of the clamping member 30 is located below the rectangular opening 25 of the enclosure cover 20. In addition, for the sake of security, a lock can be arranged on the locking tab 138 for preventing an unauthorized person from taking crucial components out of the enclosure.

In disassembly of the enclosure cover 20, the pressing portion 333 of the cantilever 33 of the clamping member 30 located below the rectangular opening 25 of the enclosure cover 20, is first pressed in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the semicircular resisting blocks 331 of the cantilever 33 push the free end of the positioning tab 324 to urge the positioning tab 324 to resiliently and downwardly bend, thereby disengaging the locking blocks 134 from the positioning hole 326 of the positioning tab 324. The enclosure cover 20 is then pulled backwardly in the first direction. When the catches 24 of the enclosure cover 20 disengage from the corresponding through slots 113, 123 of the chassis 10; the catches of the front end of the enclosure cover 20 disengage from the flange 141 of the front wall 14; the locking tab 138 of the rear wall 13 disengages from the locking hole 211 of the flange 21 of the enclosure cover 20; and the positioning tab 324 of the clamping member 30 disengages from the rectangular through hole 136 of the rear wall 13, the enclosure cover 20 is thus removed from the chassis 10.

While the present invention has been illustrated by the description of preferred embodiments thereof, and while the preferred embodiments have been described in considerable details, it is not intended to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention will readily appear to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the specific details and illustrative examples shown and described. 

1. A mounting assembly comprising: a chassis comprising a rear wall, the rear wall having a locking portion; a cover configured to be slidably mounted to the chassis in a first direction; and a clamping member mounted on the cover, the clamping member having a positioning portion for engaging with the locking portion, and a pressing portion for urging the positioning portion to disengage from the locking portion; wherein when the pressing portion of the clamping member is pressed in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the positioning portion is resiliently bent in the second direction to thereby disengage from the locking portion of the chassis.
 2. The mounting assembly as described in claim 1, wherein the positioning portion comprises a positioning tab with a free end, and the clamping member has a cantilever with a resisting portion at a free end thereof, the resisting portion configured for resisting against the free end of the positioning tab.
 3. The mounting assembly as described in claim 2, wherein the locking portion comprises a pair of downward locking blocks formed on the rear wall of the chassis, and the positioning tab defines a positioning hole therein for engaging with the locking blocks.
 4. The mounting assembly as described in claim 3, wherein the rear wall of the chassis forms a flange with a recessed portion defined therein, and the downward locking blocks are formed on the recessed portion.
 5. The mounting assembly as described in claim 2, wherein the rear wall of the chassis defines a through hole for extension of the positioning tab therethrough.
 6. The mounting assembly as described in claim 5, wherein a rear end of the cover is bent to form a flange, the rear wall of the chassis is formed to have a locking tab, and the flange defines a locking hole therein for extension of the locking tab therethrough.
 7. The mounting assembly as described in claim 1, wherein the cover forms a plurality of catches thereon, the chassis further comprises a top wall and a bottom wall, both the top wall and the bottom wall are bent to form a flange, and the flanges of the top wall and the bottom wall define a plurality of through slots for engaging with the corresponding catches.
 8. The mounting assembly as described in claim 1, wherein the cover forms an L-shaped stop tab for restricting movement of the pressing portion of the clamping member in the second direction.
 9. The mounting assembly as described in claim 1, wherein the clamping member has a mounting portion for securely mounting the clamping member on the cover.
 10. A computer enclosure comprising: a chassis having a locking portion thereon; a cover slidably mounted to the chassis; and a clamping member mounted on the cover, the clamping member having a positioning portion thereon for engaging with the locking portion of the chassis, and the clamping member having a cantilever with a free end thereon, a resisting portion formed at the free end of the cantilever configured for resisting against the positioning portion to urge the positioning portion to resiliently bend to thereby disengage form the locking portion of the chassis.
 11. The computer enclosure as described in claim 10, wherein the positioning portion comprises a positioning tab with a free end thereon, the resisting portion configured for resisting against the free end of the positioning tab.
 12. The computer enclosure as described in claim 11, wherein the locking portion comprises a pair of locking blocks formed on the chassis, and the positioning tab defines a positioning hole therein for engaging with the locking blocks.
 13. The computer enclosure as described in claim 12, wherein the chassis comprises a rear wall, a flange with a recessed portion is formed on the rear wall, and the locking blocks are formed on the recessed portion of the flange.
 14. The computer enclosure as described in claim 13, wherein the rear wall of the chassis defines a through hole therein for extension of the positioning tab therethrough.
 15. The computer enclosure as described in claim 13, wherein a rear end of the cover is bent to form a flange, the rear wall of the chassis is formed to have a locking tab, and the flange defines a locking hole therein for extension of the locking tab therethrough.
 16. The computer enclosure as described in claim 10, wherein the chassis further comprises a top wall having a flange, and a bottom wall having a flange, the cover forms a plurality of catches thereon, and the flanges of the top wall and the bottom wall define a plurality of through slots for engaging with the corresponding catches.
 17. The computer enclosure as described in claim 10, wherein the cantilever has a pressing portion opposite to the resisting portion, and the cover forms an L-shaped stop tab for restricting movement of the pressing portion.
 18. A computer enclosure comprising: a chassis comprising a plurality of panels cooperatively forming a space therebetween, one of the panels defining a through hole; a cover slidably mounted to the chassis in a first direction and configured for covering the space; and a clamping member configured for securing the cover to the chassis, the clamping member comprising a fixed end securely attached to the cover and a free end opposing to the fixed end, a positioning tab extending from the fixed end of the clamping member toward the free end thereof, a cantilever extending from the free end of the clamping member toward the fixed end thereof and comprising a resisting portion overlapped with one portion of the positioning tab in the first direction and spaced from the positioning tab in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, wherein an interlocking structure is formed between the positioning tab and said one of the panels and the positioning tab is extentable through the through hole of the chassis in the first direction to allow the interlocking structure to interlock the positioning tab and said one of the panels; and the resisting portion is configured for resisting against the positioning tab in the second direction to resiliently bend to thereby unlock the interlocking structure from the positioning tab and said one of the panels.
 19. The computer enclosure as described in claim 18, wherein the interlocking structure comprises a hole formed at one of the positioning tab and said one of the panels, and a block formed at the other of the positioning tab and said one of the panels and configured for engaging in the hole.
 20. The computer enclosure as described in claim 19, wherein the cantilever comprises a pressing portion spaced from the resisting portion in the first direction and configured for being pressed to urge the resisting portion to resist against the positioning tab, and the cover comprises an opening configured for exposing the pressing portion and an L-shaped stop tab extending from an edge of the opening and configured for restricting movement of the pressing portion in the second direction. 